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Ch32 - Close-quarters Combat
Zhang Hun rode down the mountain road on a fine black steed, casually trailing at the back of his troops. The Liang Estate was just up ahead, so close they could even hear the crisp ringing of their alarm bell, but he hadn’t any intention of hastening his march. Rather, he looked smugly at Tian Chang, who rode by his side, “Advisor, whaddya think of my subordinates?”
Tian Chang’s horsemanship was awful. He clenched the reins of his donkey in a deathgrip as he woozily replied, “Your troops are mighty, general, simply awe-inspiring!”
Zhang Hun laughed, “It’s all thanks to your excellent plan, advisor. With all these soldiers right in front of them, no way they won’t take the bait.”
Their plan was to array their armies before the front gates in a show of force. The militia would direct all their attention towards them, as long as there wasn’t anything wrong with their heads. The Liang Estate’s perimeter was too long for their measly militia to defend the entire thing. Once the militia was drawn away, their people could easily find a way to slip in.
Zhang Hun had already sent out two cunning little fellows to go around and jump the wall. It wouldn’t take long before they effortlessly infiltrated the main residence under the Wang brother’s guidance. Once the sickly master was in his hands, the estate would fall under his control!
“Haha, but it’s only because you have many soldiers and valiant commanders, general, that we can use such a scheme,” Tian Chang simpered.
Zhang Hun might’ve seemed brash and forthright, but Tian Chang knew full well that he wasn’t nearly as stupid as he appeared. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dragged him along as he launched his assault on the Liang Estate.
If something went wrong on the Wang brothers’ end, or the militia’s numbers didn’t match up with his information, General Zhang might behead him on the spot. Bandit bosses like him were far more difficult to deal with than noblemen like Liang Feng. But then again, chaotic times; riches were prised from the jaws of death! His ingenious tactic, carried out by a band of well-fed bandits with an insatiable desire for wealth and women, was sure to succeed.
As long as Liang Feng didn’t cowardly turtle up; as long as he sent his soldiers from his side

“Eh?” Zhang Hun looked up astonishedly as the alarm bells quietened.
That wasn’t right – how could the alarm bells just stop?! How could they have mustered their troops in such a short amount of time? Those numbskull serfs probably hadn’t even realized they were being attacked yet. Could it be that the master of the Liang family was going to abandon the farmsteads and concentrate his defenses on the main residence?
Zhang Hun entertained all sorts of guesses as he turned and asked, “Advisor, whaddya think’s goin’ on?”
“Perhaps it’s for the sake of gathering the militia? The gong signals retreat, after all. Maybe that sickly invalid’s afraid of ruining the troops’ morale?” Tian Chang answered affectedly.
But his guess was instantly overturned by a sudden commotion up ahead. Someone hollered, “General! The Liang Estate’s gates’ve opened!”
“What?!” Zhang Hun hurriedly looked over and saw that the thick gates of the outer wall were creaking open. Five or six serfs, donned in cloth and armed with spears, appeared from behind the doors.
They were going to engage in a sortie outside the walls?! Zhang Hun shifted his weight to his toe loops and stood up, “Men, those cocksure grass-grazers wanna come out and die! Charge! Charge, and you’ll have gold, treasure, and pretty lasses to savor!”
After hearing their leader’s impassioned shout, the bandits couldn’t restrain themselves back any longer. They brandished their crude weapons and surged forth like a black tide. Mounting a wall, no matter how short, was a life-threatening endeavor. It wasn’t nearly as satisfying as charging straight in! Haha, it must’ve been a blessing from the heavens to encounter a herd of grass-grazers like these!
※
They’d jogged all the way to the gates, but because of their training, they’d stayed perfectly in line. Yiyan went up to the wall and looked out through an arrowslit. The bandits were still strolling languidly towards the estate.
Yiyan’s heart sank in dismay. If the bandits were running towards them, they could wait inside for them to exhaust themselves, but at their current pace, they’d hardly tire at all. Once they swarmed the walls, they could split into separate waves and attack at their leisure. The Liang Estate had been invaded by bandits before, but every previous head of household had chosen to hole up in the main residence and abandon the farmsteads. The outer wall was short, thin, and several kilometers long – how could a mere twenty men guard it all?
And once the bandits got over the walls, it was over. No matter how good their formation was, it couldn’t withstand being assailed from all sides. The phalanx was most effective when two armies fought head-on in a narrow corridor. The moment their enemies tore into their defenseless flanks, their ranks would crumble.
Yiyan stepped back and yelled, “Reserve forces, open the gates!”
Everyone balked at the order. Open the gates? They were going to face the enemy head-on? Why not hide behind the walls? Then, they’d only have to take care of the bandits that got over, right?
“The enemy is many and we are few; we must use the terrain to our advantage to have any chance of victory!” Yiyan didn’t explain in detail. He shouted again, “Open the gates!”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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The bandits noticed what they were doing, and, after a flurry of activity, charged madly at them. The fiendish shrieks, the clamor of footsteps, the thunder of hooves hammered their chests and rattled their bones. Then, they heard the beat of drums behind them. It wasn’t very loud, wasn’t very rapid, but it resonated in the depths of their hearts.
Yiyan didn’t turn around, but he knew that it was his lord who was pounding the drums of war. His lord trusted him. His lord was drumming for him, to bolster their spirits!
Against the droning rumble in the background, Yiyan shouted, “Stand your ground; wait till they approach
”
※
“Louder!” Liang Feng ordered the servant below the watchtower. The battle had come upon them too unexpectedly; since there wasn’t time to move the drum up the tower, he had them start drumming right then and there.
He’d also seen that the outer walls were indefensible, but before he’d had time to issue any instructions, Yiyan had already opened the gates.
Yiyan had done something far outside his expectations, yet very correct. The enemy was still four or five hundred meters away. If they got close, they’d think of ways to get over the walls by any means possible. A mere twenty people had no chance of holding such a long, low wall. But if they opened the gates, the bandits would toss their plans aside and rush right at them. The gateway was only several meters wide, narrow enough that five or six men standing side-by-side could halt the enemy in their tracks

What was even better was his timing; opening the gates when he did meant the bandits would be overcome by their impatience. A hundred meters wasn’t much, but when ran at full sprint during battle, it was no small burden on one’s endurance. How could the exhausted enemy hope to win once they crashed against the ready and waiting forces of the Liang Estate?!
It was the best possible action to take in these circumstances. Now, all that remained was to see whether or not the new troops could meet the enemy’s attack!
Liang Feng grasped the railing, staring intently at the battlefield. The dirt-brown tsunami of people was already roaring towards the open gates.
※
Zhu Er was shaking from head to toe. He’d never imagined that he’d be confronting enemies like this. The horde of bandits was getting closer and closer, becoming clearer and clearer. They were all snarling savages, armed with weapons of various lengths and sizes, hurtling towards them with terrifying ferocity. They were nearer now, even nearer. So near he could see their cracked, yellowed teeth and the gleam of their blades. Zhu Er’s heart was twisting into knots. He couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, what was he doing here? He should be turning around and running away!
Then, a voice exploded into his ear, “First row, level spears, stab!”
On pure reflex, Zhu Er raised his spear and stabbed with all his might at the approaching enemy. His spear squelched into the enemy’s torso. That was no straw dummy, yet Zhu Er felt like he’d stabbed one – no, it gave even more easily. His stomach pierced through, the bandit’s eyes bulged as he collapsed with a harrowing shriek.
He’d gotten him?!
Suddenly, time resumed its flow. He heard another order, “Second row, level spears, stab!”
The person behind him strode past him. The team of Jie people, taller than his, roared furiously.
“Zhu Er! What’re you blankin’ out for?!” Sun Jiao yelled. Zhu Er abruptly remembered to retract his spear and shuffle back to the end of the formation.
In a blink, he now stood in the last row, spear in hand, along with the rest of his five-man team. Viscous, slimy fluid seeped along the shaft of his spear and dripped into the mud.
His comrades stood in front of him. His enemies laid scattered beneath his feet. Some of them were staring and unseeing; some of them were moaning in pain, trying to flee. At that moment he realized he’d killed someone – he’d killed a mountain bandit!

 It wasn’t so difficult. No more difficult than their everyday training.
Zhu Er’s heart pounded in his chest like the drums of war he heard reverberating in the air as the realization sank in. He finally woke and looked at what was going on around him. The faces of the bandits he’d been so frightened by had twisted with horror and dismay. They began to hesitate, to expose vulnerabilities; it seemed that all they had to do to give them a matching set of holes was step up and stab! The bandits were only human, and no braver than they were!
Zhu Er’s steps became surer. He clutched his spear tightly. He heard another round of battle cries – the same sound he heard day after day during training, and night after night in his dreams.
“First row, level spears, Stab!”
Zhu Er propped up his spear, marched past his comrade, and stabbed into the mass of bandits.
“Stab!”
※
General Zhang hadn’t galloped into the fray together with the rest of his troops. He’d experienced enough battle to know that there wasn’t any space for cavalry when two forces slammed into each other face-first. And besides, these little security guards would be dealt with without him needing to lift a finger.
Once they exterminated the soldiers at the gates, his men could march in unchallenged and ravage the farmsteads. After all, the Liang Estate’s militia was only twenty people strong. There’d be no one left to defend the main residence. No matter whether or not they captured Liang Feng, taking the estate would be easy as pie.
Once he had the estate, he’d move all his belongings out of the mountain stronghold. Then he’d make the refugees shore up the walls and plant fields, and turn this rich land into an impenetrable fortress. Then, whether he rebelled against the court or enlisted in their ranks, he’d have a foundation to work off of. He wondered how much money a century-old noble family had accumulated.
The fire in his heart blazed as he licked his lips greedily and squinted towards the front. They’d break through these gates in a minute or two, right?
But contrary to his expectations, it was as if the violent surf had broken against a thick wall. Two minutes went by, then four, ten. Not only did the wall hold firm, it slowly pushed against them. One row after another, they ripped into his men like wolves in a flock of sheep. The mountain bandits, who’d been raring at the bit, began to shy away, withdraw, turn tail and run.
How was it possible?! Zhang Hun, incensed and aghast, whipped Tian Chang across the face, “This is the militia you spoke of? Twenty people?”
He hadn’t held back, and Tian Chang hadn’t been prepared – he tumbled off the donkey. Zhang Hun didn’t even look at him. He snarled, “Rally to me, charge!”
Five cavalrymen, he included, galloped to the gates. With his experienced band of horseback riders, they would surely gain the upper hand and slaughter those damned serfs!
※
Yiyan had been at the very front of the formation the whole time, bellowing orders and stabbing out in unison with the front row. His mind was keen and sharp; not only did he keep an eye on the enemies in front of him, but like the leader of a wolf pack, he steered his footsoldiers forward step by step, till they were past the walls of the estate. They’d advanced less than ten steps, but with every step, they trod on the blood and bodies of their enemies.
The untrained outlaws fell before their phalanx like stalks of wheat; so many that their spears were slick with blood. Yiyan knew that his inexperienced soldiers could only go for another three or four rotations. But this was already enough!
“Fourth row, level spears. Stab!”
Another order, another spate of agonized cries. Six more enemies fell. But Yiyan didn’t call for another round of killing. He abruptly looked up and saw five towering horses stampeding right at them!
The bandits were going to use horsemen to ram their formation! The militia couldn’t block them!
Without dithering, Yiyan stuck the end of his spear into the mud, took the bow off his back, and roared, “Two teams to a row, stretch out the formation, attack at will!”
The militia, having exited the gates, now faced even more enemies. Only by extending their battlefront could they avoid having enemies at their flanks and back.
Most commanders wouldn’t change formations while they were already engaged in combat, but to the Liang Estate’s militia, it was part and parcel of their training. The four team leaders reacted swiftly, each one guiding their respective underlings into the new formation. They hefted their spears again and stabbed at the enemy.
Yiyan, on the other hand, drew his bow. The arrow left the string like a bolt of lightning, arcing directly towards one of the horsemen.
“Attack! Everyone attack!” Zhang Hun spurred his horse forward with his feet as he wielded an axe with both hands.
At that moment he saw for himself that militia that’d thwarted his forces was indeed only two rows thin, twenty long spears in total. Just how many of his men had this puny bunch killed already?
Zhang Hun saw red – how dare they!
“Get back up there! Anyone who runs will be executed, no exception!” One of his trusted aides yelled. They knew all too well that their fierce of mien but timid at heart underlings could only fight fair-weather battles. The second they retreated, forget about taking the estate, they’d squirrel into the woods never to be seen again.
An arrow flew towards his face in the middle of his rant. The bandit didn’t even have the chance to dodge before he grunted and plummeted from his horse. And he was only the first. The others were soon dragged away by the emissaries of the underworld as well. The riderless horses, not distinguishing between enemy and ally, began to rampage amongst the bandits’ ranks, sowing even more chaos in amongst the already disorderly rabble.
“I’ll kill you!” Zhang Hun’s gaze locked on to the young barbarian standing in front of all the serfs.
Judging by his archery and his place at the head of the formation, was he the leader of this militia? Zhang Hun charged at him without second thought. He was greeted by uncannily accurate projectiles as well, of course. But his horsemanship was superb. He sneered and slipped sideways on his saddle, dodging an arrow that would’ve taken his life. With how fast his horse was, it was but an instant before it brought him before the youth.
“Go to hell!” Zhang Hun heaved his axe, and like a tiger charging down a mountain, stirred up a gale wind all about him!
After having missed his last shot, Yiyan threw his bow aside and pulled his spear out of the mud. The horse was upon him in an instant; the axe descending toward his head. Yiyan bent down and thrust his spear. The shaft of his spear cracked in two as it smashed against the axe. Thrown off balance from using too much force, Zhang Hun faltered for a second.
Only a second, but Yiyan had already seized the mane of his horse and sprang up. A sliver of light glinted along the edge of his dagger.
The short dagger sank into the back of Zhang Hun’s waist with a barely audible “pfft.” He wailed and fell, but his black steed remained under control, for Yiyan mounted the horse and yanked the reins. The horse whinnied, rearing up on his hind hooves, then barrelled towards the downed Zhang Hun!
The full weight of both horse and rider, no less than hundreds of pounds, shattered Zhang Hun’s spine. He twitched a few times then ceased to breathe.
Yiyan stepped on the toe loops, stood tall, and shouted, “The enemy leader is dead! Slay the bandits!”
His voice practically rang to the four corners of the world, riling up the Liang Estate’s militia, who hollered as one, “Slay the bandits! Slay the bandits!”
The bandits, who were weak-willed, to begin with, could no longer put up a fight. Those who still lived threw down their weapons and fled into the forests.
Yiyan reached down, scooped up Zhang Hun’s fallen axe, and started chasing the scattering bandits!
The author has something to say:
Hehe it’s the wolfdog’s first battle, isn’t he handsome! XD
Found a mistake, the militia’s long spears should be one zhang (侈) long. Before, it got mistyped as two zhang. In the Jin Dynasty, a zhang was about 2.5 meters or so. At first, I wanted them to use the Qin or Macedonian phalanx, but those are all pike formations, and not easy to maneuver. According to Ming Dynasty regulations, long spears should be around seven feet and nine inches (Chinese feet/inches (1 foot = 10 inches), but they sorta roughly match up to American feet/inches), which is close to 2.5 meters. In the Jin Dynasty, it’d be one zhang, and easier to carry.
I secretly switched it out in all the previous chapters, everyone just imagine a 2.5 meter long spear formation okay
The translator has something to say:

.. so the 3m long spears
. pretend the translator knew it was supposed to be 2.5m and just decided to round up cause it’s faster to type “three meters” than “two and a half meters”